Just Another Night at Freddy's: Night Three: Changing of the Guard
by DeltaV
Summary: Mike's been fired, and in the wake of the break in, any trust or friendship between him and the animatronics has been shattered. Freddy and the others struggle to come to terms with the realization all of the guards had been human. With a new guard settled in for the night, the animatronics have one goal: Get Mike back! Rated T for "sailor speak" and scary robots. Basically PG-13.
1. Chapter One

Chapter 1: Different, Yet the Same

It had been 3 days since Mike Schmidt had been fired from his night guard position at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, and he had been spending his time trying to find another job. The reputation of his previous place of employment had made it difficult, since many of the employers assumed that Mike would be suffering from partial insanity. Or total. Mike understood, a lot of the other employees had been pretty messed up from having to deal with the robots in some way or another, as well as rumors that the restaurant was haunted. That wasn't the case, as Mike knew, but urban legends still affected the community. The rumors got so out of hand, that even the local high school students didn't dare try and get inside and figure out the truth. Plus, there was a guard anyway.

After spending an entire day on the phone, Mike finally landed a job at another pizza joint, ironically, although this one didn't feature a band of singing metal animals. It was called Vito's Signature Italian, and was pretty much a higher-class type of pizza, saturated in Italy. He was brought on as a janitor, since the place's old one quit, meaning Mike was once again working nights alone in a pizzeria. He figured it would be fine. After Freddy's, how bad could it have been? So, Mike arrived just as the sun fully set to get the low down on his assignment for the night. The manager met him at the door, and handed him a mop.

"Just clean stuff up," he said.

"No… Important info?" Mike asked.

"The water's wet, that suffice? Hop to it," the manager said gruffly, before leaving.

"Is the power conserved at night?" Mike called after the manager.

"What? No! Turn them all on for all I care," the manager barked back, before getting into his car and driving away. Mike walked through the door, put at ease by the fact all of the lights were on.

_A welcome change_, he thought, and set to work. The entire restaurant could have fit in the Dining Hall of Freddy's, including the kitchens, and was done up to resemble an Italian villa, with fake grapevines covering some of the walls. After seeing the destruction kids could cause, Mike was also pleasantly surprised to find that this place was much cleaner, even if his job was more menial. After 20 minutes spent mopping the floors, Mike unknowingly nudged a metal pot almost entirely off a counter in the kitchen with the handle of his mop, and as he began wiping tables, it finally fell onto the floor. The loud clanging caused Mike to immediately snap his head up.

"Chica?" he called out reflexively, before checking himself. "Right… She's not here…" Mike shook himself out of the memory, mind again drifting back to the two bodies that had lain backstage. Despite Mike's renewed fear of the robots, he couldn't help but wonder how they were getting along without him.

Freddy sat on the edge of the stage, deep in thought. After the new guard's first night, it began to feel much like before Foxy's escape: they didn't want to hurt the guard, but said guard didn't know. Mike hadn't returned the next night, or the night after that, but the new girl did, which surprised the animatronics, since the plan was to scare her into quitting. Hopefully, after enough guards quit, the restaurant would be forced to rehire Mike, and Freddy and the others could hopefully win his trust back.

Besides trying and keeping the position open for Mike, the other goal was to find some way to contact him, so he would take the job in the first place. But the robots weren't exactly sure how to do so. They didn't know anything about what Mike did when he wasn't in the restaurant.

So here Freddy sat, trying to figure out a way to learn more about their favorite night guard. He strained his memory, hoping to recall something, anything that could give them an idea of where to go. Coming up with nothing, the bear looked up, spying Foxy poking his head through his curtain, ready to charge once again. He seemed to be the most effective, since the fox could essentially come out of nowhere. Foxy had actually managed to get into the office, forcing the guard into a corner and screeching until she broke down. Freddy felt a little guilty they had to go that far, but considered it worth it to get Mike back.

Chelsea sat in a pool of nervous sweat, her uniform clinging to her chair. That first night had been scary, and the second had been pure hell, especially when the fox managed to get into the office. Thankfully, the clock managed to strike six before anything could happen, and when Chelsea opened her eyes, the robot was gone. The fox scared her the most, always charging when she least expected, and combined with its large metal hook, sharp teeth, and exposed metal skeleton, made him the manifestation of terror itself. The woman had always been disturbed by animatronics, and now they were attacking her. It was Chelsea's worst nightmare, but for some reason, she came back. Some part of her, one that she couldn't explain, told her that these things needed her help, but she could never work up the courage to ask them.

Looking at the tablet, Chelsea jumped when she switched to Pirate's Cove, seeing the fox grinning sinisterly at the camera. Shuddering, the new guard switched over to view the camera in the East Hall, spying the rabbit standing in the shadows, glowing eyes staring right into the camera's lens. Remembering the fox, Chelsea once again switched to Pirate's Cove, spying the curtains wide open. Slamming her fist into the button, she leapt back when a large metallic crash sounded from the other side, shaking the door in its housing. The robot's hook suddenly tapped on the glass, before sliding downward, leaving a long scratch down the middle of the window.

"Ye should go home, lass," the pirate called through the door in a low voice, before walking away.

Bonnie stared down the East Hall towards the office, hearing Foxy slam into the left door. A large part of her felt terrible about scaring the poor woman. It had been different when they thought the guards were simply endoskeletons, needing to be punished then returned to uniform. Guilt shot through the rabbit at the memory of some of the "suit ups." Maybe scaring the guard was the wrong way to go about it. If she hadn't been swayed when Foxy cornered her in the office, then nothing could get the woman to quit. For a moment, Bonnie contemplated talking to her, explaining things; maybe this new guard could be an ally. But, if they became friends, then the new guard wouldn't leave, and Mike wouldn't come back. Bonnie decided to stick to scare tactics for now, and began walking towards the office.

Upon reaching the window, the security door slammed down and Bonnie stared at the guard through the glass. She didn't look well, color had drained from her face, and she had dark circles under eyes. Bonnie felt another pang of guilt, but said nothing, just continuing to stare through the window. The guard stared back, wide-eyed.

"What do you want!?" she demanded. Bonnie again remained silent, again feeling the sharp stabbing guilt.

"Please, just leave me alone," the guard pleaded.

"Okay," Bonnie said, and began walking away. She couldn't take torturing the poor guard anymore, deciding that her visits to the office were done for the night. As for the others…

Chelsea was surprised the rabbit spoke, nevertheless just walk away, just because she asked. Maybe that one wasn't so bad. Sighing in temporary relief, the guard opened the right door to conserve power. It didn't take a genius to figure out how bad it would get if she ran out. Returning to the camera tablet, Chelsea was again relieved to find the curtains on Pirate's Cove closed, and hear the rattling of pans in the Kitchen. The animatronics were taking a break, which gave her time to think. Why were these things attacking her? It didn't make sense, she hadn't done anything, at least, she thought she didn't. Did anyone know about this? Chelsea couldn't have been the first guard, not if this is what happened at night. Unfortunately, part of Chelsea's hiring process had been to sign a binding non-disclosure agreement about what happened after hours. Having been so excited at finally landing a job, the woman hadn't bothered to read it too closely, though now she wished she had. Chelsea was still conflicted about leaving. Something drew her back, something about the way the animatronics acted. Despite being incredibly aggressive, they also seemed… sad. When Chelsea watched the animatronics on the camera, she noticed that they seemed to stare at the ground a lot, almost guiltily, or melancholic. Why? Something was going on here, and Chelsea felt compelled to figure it out despite fearing for her life.

Foxy sat on the small stage of Pirate's Cove, thinking back to what Mike had told them on the night of the break in. What they thought were rogue endoskeletons were in fact humans, like Mike. Naturally, it had occurred to the machines that all of those other "skeletons" had been human as well. Every guard they had stuffed into a suit. Looking back now, it all made sense. They looked a lot like the staff during the day, sounded similar, did the same things like drinking and (in Mike's case) sleeping. This was what made Foxy so mad at himself, that he didn't make that connection earlier. He should have known, should have realized, should have stopped.

The knowledge that he had killed left the pirate shaken, and he found a good emotional release in the form of scaring this new guard. It helped get rid of the frustration, the shame, at least temporarily, even though he felt a little bit guilty for it. All of the animatronics knew that their actions were inexcusable, and that nothing they could do would make it right. That was logic. But it still hurt. Hopefully, if the robots made amends with Mike, then things would start to get better, maybe the man could help explain. Until then, this new guard needed to go, and Foxy got up, and slowly slinked out of the curtain, closing it behind him. Maybe breaking the routine would scare her away. Focusing instead on stealth as opposed to a loud charge, Foxy crept up to the window. Finding the Cove still curtained off would hopefully keep the woman from checking the hallway, leaving Foxy able to sneak into the office. Peering through the glass, he saw that the guard had her nose buried in the tablet, watching its screen intently.

_Perfect,_ Foxy thought, and walked up as quietly as possible. Now that he was practically breathing down the woman's neck, Foxy was at a loss at what to do. He could scream, but what then? He didn't want to hurt her, so would he just leave? He was still figuring out his plan when the woman finally noticed a presence behind her. She slowly turned around, and looked up to see Foxy looming over her shoulder. She screamed, bringing Foxy out of his thoughts. The woman sat stock still, until she ran out of air, before gasping and screaming again.

Tired of the screaming, Foxy stuck his face into hers and screeched, stunning her into silence. She sat, petrified, staring into Foxy's burning yellow eyes. That's when Foxy thought of a plan. Grabbing her arm with his good hand, he dragged the guard to her feet. She tried to pull away from his grasp, and pounded on Foxy's arm, screaming again. Foxy ignored her, and began to drag her out into the West Hall. The guard kept on pulling, pounding, screaming, and pleading all the way into the Dining Hall.

"No! Where are you taking me? Let me go!" she shouted as she was dragged along. Foxy turned his head around to look at her while continuing to walk forward, once again startling the guard into temporary silence, before turning back and snatching a nearby dining room chair with his hook. Carrying the chair and the guard onstage, he sat her in the middle of the stage. Foxy stepped aside and crossed his arms, staring at her.

"Why don' ya leave, lass?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. Foxy looked up as Freddy and the others walked onto the stage, staring at the scene, confused.

"What do you want with me?" the woman asked, eyes darting to each robot. Chica stepped forward.

"For you to _leave,_" she hissed.

"It's not safe here, you know," Freddy told her, his usual polite and proper tone replaced with a faked deep, static-filled one. His eyes betrayed his forced aggressiveness; however, "You should leave while you still have a chance."

"A-a chance at wh-what?" the guard asked.

"Life, lass," Foxy told her, flashing his hook in the stage light.

"You're, you're gonna kill me?" the woman replied, horrified.

"Maybe," Freddy said, forced evil breaking slightly. Foxy noticed, and quickly covered.

"Did ye want to find out?" he asked. His façade was starting to crack as well. Suddenly, Bonnie broke down.

"No, no, no, stop! I can't keep doing this. I'm so sorry, really!" Bonnie cried at the girl, "We're not going to hurt you, honest! We'll leave you alone, I'm so sorry!" Bonnie hid her face with her hands, and fled the stage. The others looked after her in a solemn silence, before turning back to Chelsea. Freddy took off his hat.

"Well, I suppose the cat's out of the bag now," he said, voice back to normal.

"Yeah, there goes that plan. Thanks a lot, Bonnie! Now we'll never get Mike back!" Chica chastised the rabbit, who had ran Backstage.

"Ta be honest, I wasn't much further away," Foxy told the yellow bird, before walking back towards Pirate's Cove. He stopped and looked at Chelsea.

"I'm sorry, lass, for givin' ya a fright," he told her, before stepping off the stage.

"Well, I guess I'm sorry to," Chica said flatly, and returned to the kitchen, leaving Chelsea and Freddy alone on the stage. Chelsea sat, confused and scared, staring at the bear.

"You… you guys aren't going to kill me?" she asked hesitantly. Freddy nodded.

"No, and we never were going to. I'm sorry you had to get involved, we're trying to get our friend back," Freddy said sadly, fiddling with his hat, "I don't blame you if you're mad at us." With that, Freddy replaced his hat on his head, and walked Backstage to talk with Bonnie. Chelsea sat in stunned silence for a good while, thoughts exploding across her mind.

_They were trying to get their friend back? How does that work? Who is that? It was all an act? _Chelsea sat this way for a while, until she noticed Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were returning to the stage, and leapt up out of the chair.

"You're still here?" Bonnie asked, "Well, could you please leave? We open soon, and I don't want to get in trouble." Chelsea just nodded, and picked up the chair, taking it back down into the Dining Hall, before returning back to the office, still lost in thought. She passed Pirate's Cove, and saw Foxy's eyes following her. Chelsea walked a bit faster, before sitting in her chair.

_What is going on?_

_**A/N: Welcome back to Night Three, ladies, gentleman, and other. If this is the first story of mine you're pointing your face at, I ask that you please take the time to view the earlier installments, as they'll help set the stage for this one. Also, they're, you know, DONE, so you can read it all at once. For those of you that enjoyed the rapid updates… Yeah, no, not gonna be so good about it this time around. I've hit a (metaphorical) wall right now, since I hadn't planned out this installment, well, at all. I really, really, really want to keep this series going, and have no intention of abandoning it, I just need some more downtime. I may start a spin-off series to get the creative juices flowing into my brain holes, so look out for that I s'pose. So until I find enough (metaphorical) nitroglycerin to make a (metaphorical) bomb to destroy that (metaphorical) wall, there will be some (literal) pauses in my writing. OH, OH, OH, wait, hang on, one more thing… Thank you guys, seriously. I never expected I would get so much attention from my writing, I did it just to put it on paper and not forget my stories. My friend, Arm Chair General (he writes Halo/Star Wars Crossover stuff. It's okay.), said to put it on FanFiction, because why the hell not? And it turns out, people like it, which humbles me, really. This is starting to sound like an ending monologue, and I do NOT want to think about the end not even halfway through. So, to sum it all up, thank you for making me feel popular, I have writer's block, I'm building bombs out of metaphors, and this note is way too long. Again. 'Till that (metaphorical) bomb goes off… -DeltaV, Master of the Wall of Text**_


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter 2: 

Mike Schmidt stood in front of the entrance and took a look at his work. The floors were spotless, tables scrubbed, and the kitchen put back in order, which had been a process since Mike had no idea where things went. And it was only 3:00 am. Mike scratched his head. Did that mean he could leave?

Mike turned off the lights and left the restaurant, locking the door behind him, and began to walk to the bus stop a couple blocks away. As he was walking, his thoughts began to drift back to Freddy Fazbear's and the animatronics. He worried about the new guard they certainly had to have hired by now. Mike was no longer sure the robots were now harmless, and he hoped he wouldn't have to read another missing person's report. Mike had to run to catch the departing bus, and he found himself staring out the window at Freddy Fazbear's when the bus drove past.

The instant her shift ended, Chelsea went to the manager and quit. After figuring out that the goal of the animatronics was to get her out anyway, she figured there was no need to subjugate herself to the job anymore. The manager wasn't surprised.

"Yeah, figured you'd leave. Never get to hold on to our guards," she had said after Chelsea finished her resignation papers. They had a form specially typed out for the night guard position, so it was a quick process.

"You can't tell anyone about what you saw, you signed that agreement," the manager reminded the now ex-guard, "And I wish you'd give us some notice, now we have to try and fill this position in a day." Chelsea snorted, she didn't care, she was glad to be rid of the 'bots. They still scared her, even more so since they had proven to be capable of plotting, despite the regret they seemed to show. Maybe that was a plot too.

_Well, now it doesn't matter,_ she thought, heading for home.

Freddy watched the guard quit her job from his spot onstage, feeling a sort of grim satisfaction. Yes, they had, in all definitions, scared her off, but now they were one step closer to trying to bring Mike back. The next part of the plan was to figure out a way to contact him, so when night rolled around and Freddy felt himself loosen, he called for a meeting, using Pirate's Cove for privacy. Foxy was a little miffed they were using his space, but got over it quick once Freddy described the next part of the plan.

"We need to figure out a way to contact Michael," Freddy explained, "This is a problem, since we know next to nothing about him, and need to get information. Ideas?"

The other robots sank deep into thought, accessing memories, anything that might provide a lead.

"Isn't there a bunch of stuff in that cabinet in the office?" Chica asked.

"We could check that, but what about the guard?" Bonnie asked.

"She quit," Freddy replied, "Just this morning, so we'll have to start over. Actually, they've probably already noticed we're gone."

"Then we better get a move on," Chica replied, heading for the office.

Chica walked down her usual route, heading for her usual door.

_The sooner we get this guy out of here, the sooner we get Mike back,_ she thought. The others assumed that Chica wasn't that fond of Mike, but in reality, Chica had liked him almost immediately. It was his quick wit, something that she could appreciate.

As Chica approached the door, she realized it was left open.

_Oh man, this guy is SO new,_ she thought, and stuck her head through the doorway. It was empty. The tablet wasn't even powered on. Surprised, and excited, Chica ran back towards Pirate Cove to tell the others. The only one there was Foxy, who she almost plowed into as he stuck his head out of the curtain.

"Blazes, Chica, what's got ya riled up?" Foxy asked, raising his eye patch.

"There's no guard! C'mon, we gotta tell the others!" Chica exclaimed, and ran for the Dining Hall, Foxy right behind her. They found Freddy and Bonnie onstage.

"Guys! There's no guard tonight!" Chica announced. Freddy was confused.

"What? Impossible, ever since they started hiring them we were never by ourselves," Freddy said, bewildered.

"I'm telling ya, there's no one in there," Chica said.

"Then we can check that cabinet!" Bonnie said, stepping off the stage. The others followed her as she led the way to the security office. Upon arriving, it was again confirmed that no guard was present. While this did indeed puzzle the animatronics, they were thankful for their chance at the cabinet.

Bonnie pulled open a drawer, revealing it to be full of papers. She grabbed a stack, handing it to Freddy, who walked over and spread out the pages onto the desk. There were a few drawings made by their younger patrons, a lot of pages full of text with complicated words like "plaintiff" and "benefactor," but nothing about the staff. Foxy pulled open a different drawer, and riffled through with his hook. He pulled out another drawing, this one clearly of him. It depicted the pirate on a ship that resembled a floating letter "D" with a triangle for a sail. He stared at it fondly. There was a name on the corner, written in large, lopsided letters, reading "Joey." Foxy frowned, unable to remember who the name belonged to. Eventually, he replaced it to the drawer.

As Foxy admired his blob-like likeness, Chica pulled out a list of names on a sheet of paper. Scanning down the list, she finally found what she was looking for.

"Look here! '_Schmidt, Michael, Night Guard,' _it's him!" Chica announced.

"What are those numbers by his name?" Bonnie asked, pointing.

"I dunno…" Chica said, staring in thought. She looked at the top of the page.

"'_Phone.'_ What's that mean?" Chica wondered aloud.

"That means it's a phone number!" Freddy realized, walking over to the phone on the desk.

"A phone number?" Foxy asked.

"I remember Nathan talking about it, and that one guard we had, before Michael, he used this thing a lot," Freddy explained, eyeing the keypad, "I think if we copy that number here, we can talk to Michael."

"Then try it!" Foxy said. Chica handed Freddy the paper, pointing to the number. The bear looked at it for several seconds, committing it to memory, before punching it in on the keypad. Unfortunately, the large fingers of his suit sometimes hit more than one button at once, and before Freddy could finish entering the number, the phone began to ring, having been left on speaker by Mike. The electronic tone continued for several seconds, before cutting abruptly.

"_Hello?_" a tired sounding voice said through the speaker.

"Mike!?" Foxy said, way too loud.

"_Gah! Jesus! Not so loud, man, God! What do you want?"_ the voice said.

"Are you Michael Schmidt?" Freddy asked, keeping his voice normal.

"_You need a better phone, man. Your voice sounds all tinny, say it again_," the voice said.

"I said Are. You. Michael. Schmidt?" Freddy repeated, over enunciating.

"_Nah, man, my name's Derek. Wrong number,_" the voice said, and a click was heard, followed by a long tone.

"Hrm…" Foxy said, pushing his jaw into place.

"Try again?" Bonnie asked Freddy, who nodded and tried to type once more. Again, his large fingers made him hit multiple buttons at once, and Freddy paused, frustrated. The phone began to play the ringing tone again, this time being picked up almost immediately.

"_911, what's your emergency?_" a woman's voice asked.

"Pardon?" Freddy asked.

"_What's your emergency? You called 911, correct?_" the woman's voice questioned.

"Apparently. Do you happen to have a Michael Schmidt available?" Freddy asked. It was worth a shot.

"_Sir, your voice isn't coming through clearly, it's being distorted by the phone, what's your emergency?_" the voice repeated.

"Well, nothing, but-," Freddy began

"_Sir, you're aware prank calling 911 is illegal, correct?_" the woman asked again, irritated.

"There's no prank, just a mistake," Freddy explained.

"_Your voice was distorted again, just hang up,_" the woman said, "_This number is for emergencies only._" Foxy was frustrated, and leaned close to the phone.

"SKREEE!" he screeched into the speaker, hearing the woman's startled shout.

"Did ye hear _that?_" Foxy asked.

"_That's it, this number's being traced. Goodbye," _the woman said, and the click and tone sounded again.

"Well, that got us nowhere," Chica commented.

"It's my fingers, they're too big, they hit more than one number," Freddy explained.

"Le' me try," Foxy said, looking over the number before using the point of his hook to dial. This time, the number was able to be completed, and the ringing sounded again, continuing for nearly a minute, until Mike's voice sounded.

"_Hey, you've reached the number of Mike Schmidt,_" Mike's voice said.

"Finally, Mike, you gotta come ba-," Chica began, but Mike cut her off.

"_I'm not home right now, so leave a message after the beep,_" his voice finished. After a pause a tone sounded.

"Guess he's not there," Chica said.

"It did say to leave a message," Bonnie told her. Freddy spoke up.

"Michael? It's Freddy. Listen, I'm really sorry we gave you such a fright the other day… but we need you back here. There isn't even a guard tonight. Please, just, arrive here tomorrow night, we'll let you in. We need to talk to you, okay?" Freddy spoke into the phone. After a pause, Foxy spoke up.

"Do ye think he'll come back?" the fox asked.

"I hope so," Bonnie said, "We didn't get to finish-," Suddenly, the phone sounded another beep, and the long tone. Freddy pushed a red colored button, and it stopped.

"-Explaining ourselves," Bonnie finished. The four robots stood in the office in silence, unsure of how to proceed from there.

"Well, now what?" Bonnie asked, looking around at the other three.

"Looks like we have the place to ourselves," Freddy said.

"I'm bored, I'm gonna go bake," Chica announced, and headed for the kitchen.

"I'm going back to me cove," Foxy said, and left through the opposite door to Chica. Freddy watched the two leave, before turning to Bonnie.

"Want to help me prepare for tomorrow?" he asked the rabbit.

"I guess," Bonnie replied, following him into the Dining Hall. All the years of doing the exact same show had made Freddy obsessive compulsive, so he spent most of his free time putting the restaurant into exact order. It got irritating at times, but this obsession for putting things in place is what gave Freddy his talent for coming up with a plan.

As he and Bonnie began pushing chairs completely against the table, the occasional clang could be heard from the newly fixed kitchen. Chica was relieved when the repair work was fully complete and the fridges restocked, and celebrated by giving the cooks the next day a break. They never seemed to question where the pizzas came from, and were glad for the reduced work load. The pies were apparently better than they could possibly make, too, since Chica had years of experience. Though Freddy and the others couldn't smell it, the scent of baking pizza soon filled the restaurant.

After about 15 minutes spent trying to pass the time, there was a loud pounding on the glass of the front door.

Officer Reuben had been sent to investigate once it was found a prank call on the emergency dispatch call center had been traced to Freddy Fazbear's, a place that was supposed to be closed up. Assuming it had been broken into, dispatch wanted boots on the ground to report on the situation. Reuben assumed it was the night guard crank calling in boredom, so when he arrived at the pizzeria, he simply knocked on the front door.

"Police, open up," he called through.

Freddy and Bonnie turned towards the main entrance at the sound of pounding.

_Mike?_ Bonnie thought, until they could hear a slightly muffled voice.

"Police, open up."

"Police?" Freddy asked, "Why on Earth would a policeman be here?" Foxy walked into the Dining Hall, having heard the pounding as well.

"Who be that? Mike?" he asked, walking up to Freddy and Bonnie.

"It's a policeman," Bonnie told him, before turning to Freddy and asking, "What do we do?"

"Me little mateys say ta always do wha' a policeman says," Foxy offered.

"I've heard the same," Freddy agreed, "So… should we?"

"I guess…" Bonnie agreed, and the pounding sounded again.

"Police! Open the door!" the voice said again, louder than before. Freddy turned once again towards the entrance.

"Well, I guess I'll do as he says," Freddy said, and headed for the front door, grabbing the key from the security office first.

Officer Reuben was about to knock again when a large, dark shape could be seen moving behind the glass. He took a step back expectantly as the door opened, revealing a large bear with a top hat. The policeman stared a bit, until noticing that it seemed to be a suit.

"Ha, ha, very funny buddy, lose the suit," Reuben ordered. The bear blinked.

_Creepy,_ the officer thought.

"I'm afraid I can't, officer," the bear replied, mouth moving as well.

_Jeez, hell of a suit,_ Reuben thought, _Can't even see the guy._

"Did you call 911 from here?" the officer asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes," the mascot replied, "I'm sorry, it was an accident."

"Then what was that screaming about?" Reuben asked accusingly, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh… That was Foxy, I'm sorry, he gets frustrated easily," the bear apologized.

"Isn't there supposed to be just one guy workin' here?" the officer asked, suspicious.

"Yes, a guard, but there isn't one," the bear replied matter-of-fact.

"I see… What's your name?" Reuben asked, pulling out a notepad and pencil.

"Freddy," the bear told him.

"Uh huh, last name?" the officer continued, writing on his pad.

"Fazbear," the bear replied.

"Oh, come on, buddy. Look, the joke's over, what's your real name?" the officer hardened his gaze.

"That is my real name," the bear replied, looking confused.

_That's a neat trick. Must be wires or something,_ Reuben thought, getting a little bit creeped out.

"Cut the crap, pal. Do you want me to take you downtown?" the officer threatened. Again, the bear seemed eerily confused.

"What's downtown?" it asked.

"Alright, that's enough. You got anyone else in there?" Reuben asked.

"Yes, Foxy, Bonnie and Chica," the bear said.

"What, the other animals? C'mon, buster, this is getting real old," Reuben told the bear, before noticing glowing green eyes approaching.

"The hell's that?" the officer asked, cautiously putting a hand on his gun. The eyes turned into another suit, this one a rabbit.

"Jesus, _another_ one of you comedians, huh?" Reuben groaned, taking his hand off his sidearm.

"Is everything okay?" the newcomer asked, obviously a woman.

"Yeah, there is. The hell you doing here messing around? This is private property," the officer told the two… suits.

"We work here," the bear explained.

"Uh, huh, doing what exactly?" the officer asked. He was starting to worry, since the suits were rather large, and apparently whoever was in them had a few screws loose.

"We're the band, silly!" the rabbit replied, as if the officer just asked the stupidest question possible.

"Okay, _enough_ with the act, you're both under arrest for trespassing and theft," Reuben said, grabbing handcuffs off of his belt.

"Theft?" the bear asked, confused, "What did we steal?"

"Those suits. Turn around, arms behind your back," Reuben ordered. The bear did as he was told, and the office barely managed to get the cuffs around the suit's wrists. He then grabbed his extra pair from his patrol car, and made a "turn around" gesture to the rabbit.

"You too, lady, hands behind your back," Reuben again ordered. The rabbit stared at him with a bewildered look, before complying. Reuben was still disturbed by the expressiveness.

"I'm confused, these suits are ours!" the rabbit protested.

"No, they're the restaurant's," Reuben argued, opening the back doors of his squad car, "And you're gonna take 'em off at the station."

"But we can't! It's against the rules!" the rabbit exclaimed.

"You need to understand, we're the mascots of this place," Freddy calmly explained.

"Uh, huh, sure. And I'm the king of Switzerland," Reuben countered sarcastically, "Get in the car."

"You're a king?" Bonnie asked, impressed, "Wow, how do you find time to be a policeman?"

"Alright, you guys got problems," Reuben said, "Now _get in._" The two mascots did as they were told, struggling to squeeze their large frames into the small space in the back. When they managed, the rear of the car dipped from the load.

"What about Foxy? Or Chica?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm sure your little friends will get along just fine without you," Reuben told her, exasperated, when another voice sounded from the building.

"Hey! What are ye doin' to me mates?" a gruff, heavily accented voice called out. Reuben turned and stared, seeing a large, red fox, sporting a hook and eye patch, with a mouth of sharp teeth. It seemed to be a suit just like the others, except metal showed through a tear on the stomach, and both his good hand and legs were completely bare metal. The jaw also hung open, apparently broken. The fox pushed it up with its hook.

"What the hell?" Reuben said in shock.

"Foxy, there's been some sort of confusion, don't worry, we'll sort this out," Freddy called over.

"Wait, is that a suit?" Reuben asked.

"Aye," the fox replied, confused at the question, "It's a tad beat up, but I manage. Most of me fur 'round me legs is gone, but the skeleton's still there. Same with me hand." The fox raised it for emphasis, wiggling the digits.

"Okay… So that's how these things are so expressive, got a whole frame work built around it," Reuben muttered to himself. He then grabbed his radio, pressing the talk button.

"Reuben, badge number twelve-forty seven, I need a van transport, I got a lotta suspects here, all in some weird suits they refuse to take off, possibly suffering from mental illness," he reported.

"_Copy, van has been dispatched, and I'll raise Dr. Terrace,_" dispatch told the officer.

"Thank you," he replied. As Reuben replaced the mouthpiece of his radio, another figure joined the fox. This one was a yellow…chicken? Duck?

"What's going on?" it asked, also apparently female.

"Oh, God, _another?_" Reuben asked, grabbing the bridge of his nose. It was a good thing they weren't hostile, or he'd be screwed.

"Yeah, another. You gotta problem with that?" the bird asked, narrowing its eyes.

_Jesus, how does that shit work?_ Reuben thought.

"Are you guys here every night?" the officer asked, bewildered.

"Well, duh! We live here!" the bird told Reuben.

"And the guard doesn't care?" Reuben asked, amazed.

"Eh, he doesn't do much. There isn't one tonight, though," the bird replied.

"Yeah… I got that…" Reuben said back. The sound of a large engine began to sound, growing closer and closer, before a police van pulled into the parking lot. Reuben could see its driver, a woman officer, staring shocked at the scene before her. Reuben walked to the window, and the driver rolled it down.

"What the hell, Reuben?" she asked, staring.

"Got some crazies who love playing dress up, broke in here, since there's no guard tonight," Reuben replied, "You got extra cuffs?"

"Yeah, in the back. This is messed up," the driver replied.

"Tell me about it," Reuben replied, climbing in the back of the van and grabbing two pairs of handcuffs. He approached the bird first, since the fox one gave him a death glare.

"Alright, lady, hands behind your back, and turn around," Reuben ordered.

"Why?" the bird replied, doing as asked.

"Trespassing and theft, now get in the van," Reuben said, pointing. The driver had gotten out to ensure the suspects did as ordered. The bird glared at her, but climbed in the van without comment. The van rocked on its wheels. Reuben turned to the fox.

"Can you take that hook off?" he asked. The fox blinked, before unscrewing it and pulling it off his right arm. Reuben couldn't see a real hand under it.

_Damn, these suits are freaky,_ he thought.

"Put the hook on the ground," Reuben ordered. The fox growled softly, but tossed the hook in front of him.

"Don' lose it, I want it back," it said.

"It'll get returned, don't worry," Reuben said, "Now turn around, like your friend." The fox did as asked. As Reuben handcuffed the metal… glove to the end of the now hook-less arm, he spared a glance at the opening, seeing a metal plate with a screw opening in the center. The fox tensed when the officer grabbed him, but didn't do anything further, remaining mindful of his crew's advice.

"All right, get in that van," Reuben ordered, and the fox marched over. Reuben looked, but couldn't find any sign of a person in the exposed metal of the legs.

_So, is it like a cover, or…? _he thought. The van driver edged back from the fox instinctively, since it stood a good two feet taller than her, but got in the van without incident. The suspension sagged.

"Those suits must be heavy," the driver commented. The suspects didn't respond.

"Alright, let's get these guys processed," Reuben told the driver, who nodded, locking the back of the van and climbing into the driver's seat. Reuben returned to his car, trying not to stare at the suited duo in the back. Their height blocked his rearview mirror, and it was hard to ignore the rabbit's unblinking, concerned stare.

"Where are we going?" she, Reuben decided, asked.

"Downtown," Freddy told her, meeting Reuben's eyes in the mirror. A ghost of a smile crossed the officer's lips, but quickly disappeared as he realized he had to explain this to the duty sergeant.

_**A/N: -muffled explosion-…. –cough-, -cough-, Phew, holy shit, -cough-, that had some yield… Well, hello again. Blew that damn wall up, so that's good. Chapters are getting more light hearted and a lot more… different, so I think that's good. And Chelsea quit, which, for me, is pretty damn good. I'm not so sure she's out completely, but it was pretty clear to me that I was going nowhere with her character. And apparently Freddy and company got arrested. Probably didn't see that one coming, did you? Sorta stupid, but it opens up an interesting little subplot, especially once they start trying to get the animatronics "out of uniform." The main goal is still the same, but the basis of a story arc is having smaller conflicts impede the protagonist's progress towards coming to a resolution towards the main conflict. I've been thinking that this sort of mood whiplash from the last chapter (and story) will probably result in a loss of readers. If you happen to be one of said readers…That sucks. Thanks for playing, glad you got some fun out of it. But, considering the events of my first story, maybe the older crowd are even happier. Well, I guess I'll find out eventually. –DeltaV.**_


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter 3: Holding Cell

Foxy stared holes into the mesh screen that separated the two front seats from the back of the van, trying to figure out where they were going. After doing what the policeman said, and losing his hook, Foxy was nervous. Where _were_ they going? Why _did_ they take his hook? Then another realization struck: _he was outside the pizzeria again._

_At least this time, it's not me fault,_ Foxy thought, hoping that this venture would go better than the last one. Finally, Foxy decided to ask the woman driving.

"So… Where do we be headed?" he asked, and the woman glanced at him in the mirror. She cleared her throat.

"The police station," she said simply.

"Why?" Foxy asked.

"They'll explain when we get there," the driver replied. Foxy and Chica remained silent for the rest of the journey.

Freddy and Bonnie spent the trip staring out the window curiously, taking in the outside world. It might not have been their first time, but it was still a new experience. The police car eventually stopped in a small lot in the rear of a large, cement building. The officer, who said his name was Reuben, opened the rear doors and stepped back expectantly. It took a bit of doing, but both Freddy and Bonnie managed to climb out without falling over. Looking toward the van, they saw Foxy and Chica step out, being watched carefully by the van's driver. She walked over to Officer Reuben.

"Alright, there's your sideshow, Reub. Good luck," the driver said, before climbing back into the van and driving back to dispatch. Reuben looked at the Freddy and the others, who stared back curiously, wondering what was next.

"Okay, up the stairs, through that door, move," Reuben ordered, pointing towards the back entrance into Central Police Station. Upon stepping through the door, Reuben guided the robots down a short hallway, and up to the duty sergeant, Polk.

"What the hell is this?" Polk asked Reuben, staring at the four animals the officer had brought into station.

"These are the mental guys I radioed about," Reuben explained.

"Freaking creepy as hell, Reub, where'd you pick 'em up?"

"That pizza joint, off of Seventeenth. You know, that place where those kids died?" Reuben replied.

"Oh yeah, in '86. Well, alright, holding cell two, on your left," Polk directed, staring after the bizarre group.

Reuben walked into the holding area, which was thankfully empty, and opened up the door to cell number two. Individually, he unlocked the handcuffs and ordered each mascot into the cell, locking it shut.

"Alright, just hang tight, we're going to ask you some questions, then go from there," Reuben explained.

"I suppose that's reasonable," Freddy replied, "Just be quick about it, please, we have to be back in the restaurant by six,"

"We'll try," Reuben replied.

"What about me hook?" Foxy asked.

"We'll have to hold on to it for a little while," Reuben told the fox, "Maybe if you take off the suit, you'd get it back faster."

"We've already told you, we can't take off our suits," Bonnie told the officer. He frowned, opened his mouth to speak, but shut it and walked away.

Mike Schmidt had another light night as janitor, and decided to go home and catch up on some sleep. After an uneventful bus ride, he stepped through the front door of his apartment. Mike noticed a blinking red light in the darkness, and flipping on the lights, discovered he had a message on his phone.

_That's odd, who could've called me?_ he thought, and hit the "play" button. There was short instance of white noise, before he heard what was undeniably Chica's voice.

"_Guess he's not there," _Mike heard her say, before Bonnie's voice sounded.

"_It did say to leave a message,_"

"_Michael? It's Freddy. Listen, I'm really sorry we gave you such a fright the other day… but we need you back here. There isn't even a guard tonight. Please, just, arrive here tomorrow night, we'll let you in. We need to talk to you, okay?_" Mike heard Freddy, much louder, although his voice was distorted. There was a short silence.

_How did they figure out my number?_ Mike thought, until he heard Foxy's voice.

"_Do ye think he'll come back?_" Mike heard Foxy ask.

"_I hope so, we didn't get to finish,"_ Bonnie's voice sounded, before the message ended. That last part scared Mike.

_Finish what? Stuffing me in a suit? Oh my God, do they know where I live?_ Mike wondered, starting to panic. He ran up to his front door, making sure it was locked, before peeking out the window. Nothing, though Mike wasn't sure what he expected to find. He ran a hand through his hair.

_No guard tonight? What? Did they…? No. No, I'm being paranoid, _Mike thought. _If Freddy is this worked up about it, then I'll talk with him tomorrow._ Mike was happy with his decision, and flopped on top of his bed. He rubbed his eyes. Tomorrow, he'd deal with this tomorrow.

Foxy and the others stood about the cell silently, looking around. The room had two of these barred rooms and a row of benches in the middle. In the quiet, Foxy could hear the soft whirring and clacking he and the others made as they turned their heads and walked around. Soon the sounds of conversation could be heard, and a woman in a white coat walked in, flanked by two uniformed officers.

"I dunno doc, these look like some Class-A crazies to me," one of the officers said, taking the sight of Freddy and the others.

"That's why I'm here, Wilkes, to figure out for sure," the woman said. At this, the other officer spoke up.

"Well, Dr. Terrace, if you need us, we'll be right outside," he said.

"Thank you, Officer Galloway," Dr. Terrace said, and the officers nodded and walked out. Dr. Terrace sat down on the bench closest to the cell, and readied her hand over her clipboard.

"Now tell me," she began, "What are your names?" The animatronics blinked, noticing her arch her eyebrow in response.

"My name is Freddy Fazbear, madam, and these are my friends, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy," Freddy said, gesturing to each one in turn. Dr. Terrace frowned.

"Your real names," she said.

"Those be our real names," Foxy told her, confused.

"Alright then, why do you wear these costumes?" Terrace asked.

"We have to, that's the rules. No one without a suit on," Bonnie explained.

"Unless they're human," Freddy quickly added, looking away.

"But aren't you human?" Dr. Terrace asked, giving a confused look.

"No," Chica replied bluntly.

"Then what do you think you are?" Dr. Terrace asked.

"We be animatronics, miss," Foxy told her evenly.

"Ah, I see. Well, why aren't you back at the restaurant?" Terrace asked, not believing him.

"Because Officer Reuben asked us to leave," Bonnie explained, "And the kids told us to always listen to a policeman."

"Kids?"

"Aye, kids," Foxy replied. The animatronics were confused. Didn't she know who they were?

"And why do you talk that way?" Dr. Terrace asked, turning to Foxy.

"What way?" Foxy asked.

"Like a pirate," Dr. Terrace said.

"I am a pirate," Foxy said, before swelling a bit with pride, "In fact, I be Captain."

"And that's why you have worn an eye patch over your costume?" Terrace asked, scribbling down notes.

"It's not a costume, and aye, that be why," Foxy explained, crossing his arms, "You've been to Freddy Fazbear's, aye?"

"I'm afraid I haven't, I just moved here a few months ago," Dr. Terrace said, scribbling once again. She then turned to Chica.

"And then you, er… Chico, was it?" Dr. Terrace asked, "What do you do at the restaurant?"

"It's Chica, lady, and I make the pizzas," Chica replied, narrowing her eyes, "This is getting ridiculous."

"Well maybe if you'd just take the costumes off, and give us your actual names, then we'd have an easier time," Dr. Terrace sighed, exasperated. They were interrupted by another officer walking in, dragging a struggling teen into the room.

"Hey doc, what are you doing here?" the officer said, before the teen elbowed him, "Ow! You little shit, get in there!" The officer opened the door to the other cell, tossing the teen inside.

"Sorry about that doc, what's going on-, Jesus, what are those!" the officer exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the animatronics.

"Relax, they're just costumes, they broke into a pizza place, and clearly they made need some help," Dr. Terrace explained.

"Whoa," the teen said, "Those are cool." After that statement, Officer Galloway returned.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Doctor, but there's an urgent phone call for you from Mrs. Henderson. Apparently those nightmares are back, and she called the police," he said. Dr. Terrace sighed.

"Very well, we'll finish our chat later," she said, before walking out with Galloway. The officer that had brought the teen in walked up to the bars, staring closely.

"Creepy," he said, and left. Freddy turned to the others.

"They don't believe us," he announced.

"This is stupid, we're telling the truth, and it's getting us nowhere fast. I mean, honestly, how can they possibly think we're just a bunch of humans in costume?" Chica said.

"You guys aren't human?" the teen in the other cell asked, alarmed.

"No!" Chica shot back, and the teen backed away from the bars.

"We'll just have to wait it out, Chica, they'll realize it eventually," Freddy explained. There was a pause as the others considered it, when suddenly Wilkes and Galloway returned.

"Alright, enough screwing around, take off your costumes," Wilkes ordered.

"I've already explained, we can-," Freddy tried to say, but Wilkes cut him off.

"You can and you _will,_" he said.

"Look, just do it, okay? It'll make life so much easier," Galloway said more gently.

"It's not a matter of being difficult, it's-," Freddy began.

"Alright, open the cell, get their costumes off, now!" Wilkes ordered, and he, Galloway, and the officer that brought the teen opened the door, pulling out Bonnie, who was closest.

"Hey, hang on, we're not human!" Bonnie tried to explain, but the officers ignored her, grabbing her suit's head and pulling.

"Look, just get out of these costumes, and we'll figure this out!" Galloway said.

"It's not coming off!" Wilkes complained, giving a tug.

"It's attached!" Bonnie explained, not wanting to shove the officers off.

"Hang on, there's a latch here," the other officer said, opening a panel into the back of the head. He froze.

"What?" Wilkes asked.

"They're, they're," the officer began.

"_What?_" Wilkes demanded.

"Just look!" the officer said, pointing into the open hatch. Through it, they didn't see anything human. Instead, a mostly hollow metal skull rested inside, attached to a series of wires and cross bars. They could see the inner jaws, and the backside of the eyes as they moved about, since Bonnie was struggling to look behind her.

"What's going on?" she asked, concerned at the stunned silence.

"These, these things aren't human!" Galloway exclaimed.

"Finally, you dopes get it!" Chica said, stepping forward and leaning against the metal bars.

"Well, then, what are they?" Wilkes asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen anything like it!" the other officer said. Bonnie took the confusion to close the access hatch on the back of her head, making sure it was latched tight. She turned around to face the policemen.

"Does this mean we can go now?" she asked.

"Aye, and I really want me hook back," Foxy added, pushing the cell door open. He, Freddy, and Chica stepped out of the cell, and brushed past the stunned officers. Foxy walked up to Polk, the duty sergeant.

"Ahoy there mate, by any chance do ye have me hook?" Foxy asked, resting his good hand on Polk's desk. Polk nodded, having heard the exchange, and fumbled under the table. He emerged with Foxy's hook, dropping it in front of him.

"He-here," Polk said.

"Thank ye," Foxy said, and reattached it. He gave it a few test swishes, causing Polk to step back. Satisfied his hook was firmly attached, Foxy turned to the others.

"We best be goin', it almost be six," Foxy said, glancing at the clock. It read 5:30. A series of footsteps sounded, and Dr. Terrace and Officer Reuben appeared.

"What's going on? We heard shouting," Terrace said, and spotted the animatronics.

"Why are these guys still wearing their costumes? Wilkes, Galloway, why are they out of their cell?" Reuben demanded.

"They're not costumes," Galloway said, inching out of the holding area.

"What do you mean, they're obviously costumes," Dr. Terrace said, crossing her arms.

"No, no, we opened it up. These things aren't human," Wilkes said, not taking his eyes off the animatronics. At first the doctor was skeptical, but the absolute shock in Wilkes and Galloway's faces told her they were telling the truth. She turned and stared at Freddy.

"What are you?" she asked.

"We're late, c'mon Freddy, we need to _go,_" Chica said, pulling the bear out the door.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble, but we must be going," Freddy apologized, then tipped his hat and headed out the door they entered through. Foxy and Bonnie followed, with Bonnie taking another glance behind her. Everyone in the building stared after them, until Officer Reuben suddenly pursued them.

"Hey! Freeze! You're still under police custody-," he said, running and grabbing Foxy's arm. But the fox turned his head around to face the officer, screeching. Reuben stopped as if he hit a wall, and stared, eyes wide and mouth agape. The rest of the officers watched, stunned. Foxy pushed the officer's hand away with his hook.

"I _don't_ like being touched, lad," Foxy told him in a low, dangerous voice, before turning his head around and following the others out into the night.

_**A/N: Another day, another chapter. Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, faving, subscribing, chanting my name in a demonic summoning that was then proven not to work and pissing off your roommate because you used his toothpaste to draw a pentagram on the new carpet, or whatever it is you folks do when I update. 'Til next time. –DeltaV, a.k.a., "Did You Invite Him?"**_


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter 4: The Mall

Foxy and the others dropped into a sprint, desperately searching for a place to hide. After the people in the police station recovered from their shock, they started to chase the animatronics, and Foxy could hear sirens in the distance. Thankfully, it was still way too early for most of the suburbanites to be awake, so all the robots had to do was escape the police.

Several blocks away from the police station was the city's mall, appropriately placed near the largest residential districts. Despite Officer Reuben's phrasing, the police station he was assigned to was not actually located downtown, instead serving to provide police protection to the suburbs and their commercial areas. Freddy and the others ran for a service entrance, slamming through it and breaking the door's deadbolt with their momentum. Unfortunately, the four robots had all tried to get through the doorway together, ending up tripping over each other and landing in a heap just inside.

Chica got up first, having winded up on top of the pile, and quickly shut the door. Bonnie, who was under Chica, but on top of Freddy and Foxy, rolled off of Foxy's back, standing up and peering around. They had broken their handcuffs after the police found out they weren't human, but still had the rings clasped to their wrists.

As Foxy and Freddy untangled themselves from each other, Chica joined Bonnie in walking around to the atrium. Nothing was open, since it wasn't even six, and the lights were off. Soon, Foxy and Freddy joined them, distracted by all the shops, as well as the size of the building they were in.

"Wow! This place is _huge!_" Bonnie said, looking up through the many stories.

"I wonder what this place is for," Freddy wondered aloud. He walked over to a shop, its entrance covered by a metal gate. It was an electronics store, with many new and shiny gadgets and gizmos lining the shelves. Being unaware of what they were, Freddy soon lost interest.

As the four wandered about, the police sirens could be heard getting closer and closer. Remembering that they were indeed trying to hide, the animatronics ducked into a maintenance hallway.

"We need a plan," Chica said. Freddy nodded.

"I agree, I think they know we're here. Let's see…" Freddy said, thinking.

"Let's just scare 'em off," Foxy offered, "We already spook 'em."

"Yeah! And we're pretty good at it anyway," Chica agreed, then looked to Bonnie, "Unless you have a problem with it."

"I don't!" Bonnie told the chicken, crossing her arms, "It's different, they started it!"

"So it's agreed? Same old scare plan?" Freddy took a vote. It was unanimous. Let the fun begin.

Officer Wilkes pulled his squad car into the mall parking lot. Those things had been heading in this direction, and torn up lawn showed they had been here very recently. Shining his spotlight, he noticed one of the side doors was damaged, a large dent apparent in the middle.

"This is Wilkes, pull up to the West side, I got 'em," he radioed. Reuben and Galloway acknowledged, and soon the three officers were standing outside the damaged door.

"Holy shit," Reuben said, "Those things just barreled straight on through."

"Dr. Terrace said she wants these guys re-captured, plus they did sort of break out of jail, technically," Galloway reminded the group, "So I guess we better go inside." He pushed open the door, showing a completely dark mall, the only light the dim square formed by the open doorway.

"How inviting," Reuben said sarcastically, pulling out his flashlight. The others did the same, and started sweeping the beams around the open space, walking inside. The three panned around, looking for any signs of Freddy and the others. A large shadow dashed by to their right, and Wilkes quickly aimed his flashlight, but illuminated a potted plant.

"Stupid plant. This place gives me the creeps," he said.

"Well, we need to hurry up, it'll be six soon, and mall staff will show up," Galloway reminded the group.

"No need to encourage me," Wilkes replied. Heavy footsteps sounded, rapidly approaching, and the fox jumped into their flashlight beams, screeching. The officers screamed, and before they could recover, Foxy had sped away.

"Jesus! Oh shit, shit," Galloway swore, putting a hand on his chest. Wilkes had already shrugged it off, and searched rapidly with his flashlight.

"C'mon out, you freaks!" he taunted.

"Be careful what you wish for," a deep voice growled from behind them. Whirling around, the officers were face to face with both the rabbit and the bear, who also screeched their voice boxes as loudly as they could. This time, however, Wilkes wasn't nearly as startled, and he swung at the rabbit.

Bonnie caught his hand, and shoved the officer back, knocking him to the floor. Reuben picked him up, while Galloway put his hands up defensively.

"Whoah, whoah! We don't want any trouble," he stammered.

"That's a shame, because now you've got it," the bear said, stepping forward. Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"Chica, if you'd please," she said. Suddenly the yellow bird appeared from the side, swiping flashlights out of Reuben's hands, and went dark upon hitting the floor. Foxy did the same to Wilkes, although the light remained on, so Foxy kicked it away. Galloway had already dropped his light in fright, so now the officers were in total darkness, except for the glowing eyes of Freddy and the others.

"Oh shit," Reuben muttered, and the blue eyes disappeared. Galloway felt a presence behind him, and reached back, touching fur.

"Um…" he began, but he was suddenly lifted aloft by his shirt. He began yelling out, and kicking.

"Hey! Let me go! Hey!" Galloway called out, twisting to see what was carrying him, only greeted with glowing blue eyes. The officer began to be carried away from the group.

"Galloway!?" Wilkes called out, unable to see.

"Help!" Reuben and Wilkes heard him call out, much farther away.

"Damn it, they got Galloway!" Wilkes cursed.

"Stick together, try and get as close as you ca-," but Reuben was interrupted by feeling his legs get knocked out from under him, and his arms getting caught before he could fall over. He screamed as he was being dragged away.

"Reuben!? Shit! You ain't taking me!" Wilkes cried, drawing his gun, and searching around. He saw green eyes staring at him from the distance, and he aimed.

"You ain't taking _me!_" he screamed again, and pulled the trigger. Bonnie yelped as the gunshot rang out, and a bullet tore through her suit. Luckily, the round hadn't struck any part of her endoskeleton, and passed harmlessly through the back, leaving a small hole. Chica heard this, and slapped the weapon out of Wilkes's hand, and knocked him out.

"Are you okay?" Chica called out to her friend.

"I-I think so," Bonnie replied shakily.

Meanwhile, Freddy and Foxy had thrown the other officers outside, where they scrambled into their patrol cars and sped away. Returning to the atrium, they could see Chica picking up the knocked out Wilkes, while Bonnie picked up and examined his gun.

"What's that?" Foxy asked, looking over the rabbit's shoulder.

"I don't know, he pointed it at me, it exploded, and this… thing went through my suit," Bonnie explained, turning the pistol around in her hands.

"If it's dangerous, get rid of it," Freddy ordered, holding the door open for Chica, who tossed Wilkes into the bushes. Bonnie nodded at Freddy, and dropped the gun into a nearby trashcan.

"What time is it?" Chica asked, walking back inside.

"I don't know, let's find a clock," Freddy said, and began peering into the stores. He finally found a clock that was visible in a small bookstore, and read the time: 5:56.

"Oh no! It's almost six, and we're nowhere close to the pizzeria!" Freddy exclaimed.

"What do we do?' asked Bonnie.

"We should hide, before we lock up," Chica said, and the others agreed.

"Split up, spread out," Foxy advised, "We'll be harder ta find." The four frantically ran around, looking for a spot to hide, when they heard a chime, signaling six o'clock.

"Oh no!" Bonnie cried, and the animatronics tensed, waiting to lock up. It didn't happen. They waited another minute, but found they could still move.

"We can move!" Freddy observed.

"Alright!" Chica cheered. In the middle of this victory, they heard the sound of a lock turning, and a door opening. The animatronics dashed out of sight.

Several hours later, the animatronics were still trapped as the mall continued to fill with people. Freddy and Chica had hidden together in a store that was still under construction, and currently abandoned, while Foxy and Bonnie ran upstairs. Chica opened the door a crack, and peeked out.

"I think there's even _more_ people now!" she reported quietly to Freddy. He sighed.

"This isn't good. I'd say that we just head for the pizzeria now, but our history with humans has been… less than favorable," Freddy told her. "I hope the others are doing better."

Foxy was _not_ doing well, having to hide in plain sight by joining a series of sculptures. The local art museum, it turns out, had established a small exhibit showcasing a series of works by some artist who worked with scrap metal and spare parts, making things like animals. Foxy, in his damaged state, managed to fit right in, and now stood stock-still in the middle of a rapidly filling shopping mall.

It wasn't having to stand still that made Foxy upset, he could stand still for hours, being a machine and all. No, what upset him was that people felt compelled to ogle him, making comments about either how "creepy" he was, or still others that tried to find artistic meaning in the pirate's form. It felt very degrading, but Foxy didn't dare try anything now.

The exhibit was right by the food court, where Bonnie hid in the storeroom for one of the larger restaurants. From what Foxy could see, she hadn't left, and no one who walked in seemed to notice, since they left like nothing was amiss. Foxy mentally frowned. How were they going to get out of this one?

Mike Schmidt sighed as he walked through the Central Mall, looking for a store that would have what he needed. His niece's birthday was this coming weekend, and he needed a gift. Mike figured the mall was a good choice, since he wouldn't have to ride around town on the bus. He liked his niece, and didn't want to disappoint her, and with all the previous events, shopping had escaped his mind.

Thankfully, Mike still had the overtime bonus from Freddy's, which would be enough to get a nice little toy for his sister's daughter. Seeing nothing of interest on the first floor, he climbed up onto the second, and his stomach growled. Mike skipped breakfast, on account that his options consisted of a moldy sandwich, and mustard. He decided to go up to the food court on the third floor, and noticed a crowd mingling around some sculptures. One of which looked very familiar.

_No. No way. That can NOT be him,_ Mike thought, walking up to a sculpture that looked _exactly_ like Foxy. He stared, and when the people closest to the figure moved on, Mike stepped up, apprehensive. He began to be convinced it was indeed a replica, until Foxy's eyes snapped to look at him. Mike leapt back, smothering a shout, causing several people to stare. He regained his composure, and continued to look at what was now most certainly Foxy. Mike inched closer, hoping the crowd would discourage the fox from trying anything.

"Foxy? Look down at the ground if you're not locked up," Mike muttered, voice barely above a whisper. Foxy immediately looked down, then back at Mike.

"It's me. Please help, I'm not gonna hurt ya," Foxy said, mouth motionless, and very quietly.

"Alright, I trust you. Are the others here?" Mike asked, moving to stand right beside Foxy, but looking around the mall.

"Aye," Foxy muttered, staring straight ahead.

"Where?" Mike asked, faking a stretch and yawn.

"Bonnie be in the back o' that big restaurant," Foxy reported, "I don' know where Freddy and Chica be."

"Alright. Sit tight, I'll figure something out," Mike told the fox, before moving towards the restaurant. He could converse more openly with Bonnie, and figure out why they were out here in the first place. Mike lingered in front of the storeroom entrance, leaning against the wall. An employee from the restaurant exited with a large box, and Mike stopped the door with his foot. Once he was sure no one was looking, he slipped inside.

Mike looked around, seeing that the storeroom was empty of employees. He walked towards the rear, where he figured the rabbit would be hiding.

"Bonnie?" Mike called out. A large, tall box that sat against the wall stirred.

"Mike?" he heard Bonnie say as the box turned to "face" him. Bonnie lifted the box off of herself.

"Mike! It's so good to see you!" Bonnie cheered, and pulled Mike into a hug.

"Bonnie! Air!" Mike gasped, trying to pull himself out of the robot's crushing hug. Bonnie immediately let go.

"I'm sorry! You're not still scared, are you?" Bonnie asked, worried about the other night.

"No, in fact I was going to come by tonight. Glad I went here first," Mike told the rabbit. She grinned.

"You got our message! We've really missed you Mike, we need you," Bonnie said.

"It appears that way, yeah. How'd you all end up here?" Mike asked.

"Policeman came to the restaurant and took us to this place they called 'downtown'," Bonnie explained, "We escaped to try and get back before six, but they followed us, so we hid here."

"And the mall opened, so you couldn't get out," Mike guessed.

"Exactly! I'm not sure why we aren't locked up, but it's helped us hide," Bonnie said.

"Not Foxy, he's stuck pretending to be a sculpture," Mike told Bonnie.

"Oh dear, I thought he didn't find a hiding spot in time," Bonnie said.

"He's okay for now, but we gotta get you out of here," Mike said, "Arianna's going to be _so_ pissed you guys aren't there." Mike began to walk around, deep in thought, and Bonnie followed him. He suddenly snapped his fingers, and turned to face her.

"I've got it! Get back under your box, I'll be right back, I just need to tell Foxy," Mike ordered, and slipped back outside the storeroom again, leaving one of his shoes to keep the door ajar. Bonnie lifted the box over herself, and struggled not to move in excitement. Mike was back.

Foxy watched Mike slip into the storeroom, then leave several minutes later, walking straight for the fox. As he walked by, Mike muttered a message to him.

"I got a plan, be ready to move around," Mike told the fox. Foxy struggled not to grin as Mike walked away.

Mike immediately descended to the second floor, having seen the store he needed on the way up to the third. He walked into the small hobby shop, heading for the art supplies, grabbing a large box of permanent markers. After paying for phase one of his plan, he once again crossed towards the storeroom, giving Foxy a reassuring grin.

Upon arriving at the storeroom, he lingered around again until he was once again sure no one was watching, before slipping through the door, retrieving his shoe. Mike walked up to Bonnie's box, and tapped on it.

"We're clear, c'mon and help me," Mike told her, and Bonnie took the box off. Mike tore open the markers, and handed Bonnie an empty box.

"Hear, tear this into squares," Mike said. The sound of tearing cardboard sounded, and four, flat pieces of cardboard were handed back.

"I'm going to make some signs, the story is we're promoting the pizzeria," Mike explained, and Bonnie started to bounce on her toes a bit.

"Ooh! Can I help?" she asked, excitedly.

"Uh, sure, here," Mike said, and handed Bonnie several markers and piece of cardboard. Bonnie lowered herself onto her stomach, and drew intensely, legs swinging slightly. Mike stared at the odd childish action, before returning back to work. Soon, Bonnie had finished, and stood up, holding her sign proudly.

"What do you think?" she asked. On the cardboard were the words, "Come to Freddy's!" with a picture of pizza, and a pretty accurate representation of Freddy.

"Not bad. Better than me," Mike admitted, gesturing to his work.

"Oh, you drew a block of cheese!" Bonnie said, grabbing Mike's sign and looking at it.

"That's Chica," Mike said, "And you're holding it upside down."

"Oh," Bonnie said, "Well, it's… nice…"

"Tell you what, you draw them," Mike said, "I'm going to look for Freddy and Chica."

"Ok!" Bonnie said, and gathered the art supplies, sitting on the ground.

"They're downstairs, last I saw them," she added, starting to draw.

"Got it, thanks," Mike told her, and left the storeroom, wedging the door open with cardboard.

Mike searched around, looking for what large robotic animals would use as a hiding spot. He found a shop that was under construction. Testing the door, Mike noticed the lock looked broken. He walked inside, and heard a rustling in the corner.

"Freddy? Chica?" Mike called out. The room was dark, and Mike's eyes hadn't adjusted.

"Michael?" he heard Freddy say.

"Yeah, where are you?" Mike asked.

"Over here," Freddy replied.

"Gee, thanks. Really helps," Mike replied sarcastically.

"Glad to see you're still happy," Chica called over, stepping out from behind a pile of lumber.

"Good, you're here to," Mike told her, "Now huddle up, I have a plan."

"You trust us?" Freddy asked.

"Yes, I do. Now listen, Foxy and Bonnie are fine. Foxy's stuck hiding in plain sight, Bonnie's in a backroom. The plan is to act like we're promoting the restaurant, so I have Bonnie making signs. We'll start upstairs, get Foxy, then come down for you two. Make sense?" Mike explained.

"That's brilliant, Michael!" Freddy praised.

"Oh man, our manager is going to be _really_ upset with us," Chica said.

"Let's not worry about that now. Stay out of sight, I'll be back in a few," Mike said, and quickly walked out of the empty room. Time to get to work.

_**A/N: And we'll stop right there. We're getting ready for the main event, ladies and germs, so stick around. Thanks for all your great reviews, follows, and favorites. I still don't quite understand what makes me so popular, but I'm grateful for it. In fact, I'll let you know something: I'm working on a little side project, focused on you kind folks, as well as a possible spin-off series of sorts. So even when this series inevitably ends, I won't be done as a writer. I've found myself to truly enjoy this experience. But the end of this series is still in the distant future. I'll let you guys know more about my project, but from looking around, I'm confident in saying it hasn't been tried before, so it'll be some sweet, sweet science. Like, sweet as in, brownies. It'll be brownie science. Have a good one. Or two. Or like, eight. Actually, just take the plate. –DeltaV (Now with flavor crystals!). **_


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter 5: Act Natural

Mike walked up to the door to the storeroom, once again waiting for the coast to be clear. He got startled when an employee entered in front of him, and Mike had to grab his cardboard to keep the door closed. Knowing that Bonnie was probably still working, Mike tensed, ready to burst in and calm the situation.

Nothing happened, the employee left with a box, whistling to himself. Mike sighed in relief, and snuck into the storeroom. He found the art supplies hastily kicked under shelving, and the tall box was standing up against the wall again.

"C'mon out, Bonnie, it's me," Mike said to the box. It didn't move, and Mike turned around to see Bonnie peering through empty shelving. She waved.

"Mike! Over here, I finished the signs!" Bonnie called over. Mike stepped around the shelves, and Bonnie held out the cardboard pieces. On each were the words "Come to Freddy's!"and a picture of pizza. What was different, however, was that each of the four signs had a different animatronic drawn on them.

"Do you like them?" Bonnie asked, rocking back and forth on her heels, hands behind her back.

"Yeah, these will work great! Here, take your sign," Mike told her, passing the sign with Bonnie's likeness on it.

"Alright. So, basically, the plan is to cause a distraction so we can slowly add the others to our little group. We need to first get Foxy, so you need to keep the crowd's attention away so no one notices he was a sculpture a second ago," Mike explained, "Then we'll go from there. Got it?"

Bonnie nodded.

"Ok, let's do it."

"Remember, act natural, you're just a guy in a costume," Mike reminded as he and Bonnie slipped out of the storeroom. Almost immediately people began to notice, which was expected, since Bonnie was a large purple rabbit.

"Go," Mike said, and Bonnie began to wander around.

"Hey everyone!" she called out happily, "Come to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, where fun and fantasy come to life!" Soon, the rabbit had drawn a crowd, with people asking for more information, or pictures, or about her "costume." Meanwhile, Mike walked over to Foxy, and held out his sign.

"Here, take this, quick! Follow Bonnie's lead," Mike explained. Foxy grabbed the sign with his good hand, and walked over to Bonnie. A few people got out of his way, staring as he passed by them.

"Ahoy! Why don't ye sail on over to Freddy's, eh?" the fox asked a family. They smiled, but walked faster. Foxy tried again with a couple, but got the same result. He returned to Mike.

"They don' like me," Foxy complained, frustrated.

"So? It's a cover, c'mon, we're getting too much heat," Mike replied, and waved Bonnie over. She politely left the small crowd, and walked over.

"This is fun!" Bonnie said. Foxy frowned.

"Aye. _Real_ fun," he said sarcastically.

"Well, in your defense, your metal is showing," Bonnie told the fox, trying to make him feel better.

"Guys, relax, it's an _act_, now let's go get the others, this way," Mike commanded, leading their odd group towards the escalator. The mall was even more crowded, and progress was slow as people stopped and watched, while others approached Mike about what was going on. The only difficulty they encountered was Foxy, who's battered appearance scared a lot of people off.

Until a small group of kids walked by, and immediately recognized Bonnie.

"Look! It's Bonnie!" one of them, a girl, cried, pointing. The group immediately swarmed the rabbit, asking all sorts of questions.

"What are you doing here?"

"Where's Freddy?"

"Is Chica here?"

"Who's that?" another asked, pointing to Foxy. He perked up.

"I be Foxy, the pirate!" he said proudly.

"Why are you broken?" the same child asked. Foxy deflated.

"Er… Bein' a pirate is dangerous," he explained. Other children were frightened, clinging to the teacher (or Bonnie) in fear. This was not lost on the fox, who turned away. Clearly, no one knew who he was.

Mike used this moment to head to the store under construction, carrying the signs. Mike knocked, then walked in.

"Freddy? Chica? It's me. Grab these signs and head outside. Our cover is we're promoting the restaurant," Mike explained. Freddy and Chica nodded, and grabbed their respective signs.

"Bonnie made these?" Freddy asked.

"Yeah, not bad, right?" Mike replied.

"I don't know… This looks like a block of cheese," Chica observed dryly.

"Oh… That's… that's mine," Mike admitted, "That's supposed to be you."

"Oh, yeah, I totally see the resemblance," Chica said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up and get out there," Mike ordered, pointing to the door. Freddy lead the way, followed by Chica and Mike. They were greeted by cheering children.

"Freddy!" they all cried, and all of them surrounded the bear. He chuckled.

"Hello!" he called out, "Wow, look at all of you!" Mike looked as well. The crowd seemed to have grown, except around Foxy, who observed with a sour expression. Mike walked over to him.

"Seems like no one remembers Ol' Foxy," the pirate said, crossing his arms.

"It's been 20 years, Foxy. _I_ was a kid then," Mike told him, also watching. "Besides, it _is_ sort of your fault you got shut away."

"I know," he huffed, "Ye don' need ta bring that up." He glared at Mike.

"Right, sort of struck a nerve there. Sorry," Mike apologized, backing away from the angry fox.

"It's fine," Foxy growled. Mike could tell it wasn't.

"Er, guys? Maybe we should get going, huh?" Mike called over to the others, deciding it'd be best to separate himself from Foxy for a moment.

"In a minute, Mike!" Chica called back, before hugging a child. Mike heard Foxy start to growl again.

"I don't think we really _have_ a minute," Mike called back over, nervously watching Foxy. Then a voice rang out.

"Whoa! Look at that cool red one!" a boy cried, grabbing his friend, "We should say hi!"

"I dunno," the friend replied, "He looks scary…"

"Don't be chicken!" the boy taunted.

"I'm not chicken," the friend replied indignantly, and the boy dragged him over.

"Then say hi!" he told the friend, and looked up at Foxy. "Hi! I'm Ben!" The boy looked at his friend expectantly. When he remained silent, he elbowed him.

"Ow!" the friend cried, and looked up at Foxy, apprehensive. "I'm Mike," he said in a quiet voice. Foxy crouched down to eye level.

"Ahoy there Ben, Mike!" he greeted, "I be Foxy! And this lubber here also be called Mike." Mike (the guard) frowned at the lubber remark, but waved.

"Why do you talk that way?" Ben asked.

"I'm a pirate!" Foxy replied proudly, "And I be a captain."

"Wow! A pirate!" gasped the young Mike, "Do you have a ship?"

"Aye, lad. The finest ship tha ever sailed," Foxy told the two. Conversation continued in this fashion for a small while, until the older Mike coughed.

"Foxy, I think we should get going…" Mike began, but the glare the Foxy shot him made Mike stop trying.

"Don't you dare. I need this," the glare seemed to say. Mike was about to nervously ask again, but Foxy silenced him before we could speak with a raised hook.

"So lads," Foxy said, "Do ye want to hear a story?" This time, Mike risked it.

"I don't think we have time for _that…_" Mike said, and began to try and pull Foxy along. The fox didn't budge. Ben and the younger Mike groaned in disappointment. Mike turned to them.

"Tell you what, come by later today, and you can have your story then, but for now, let's _go,_" he pleaded to Foxy. The fox growled softly, but nodded, standing up.

"Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, c'mon, we be setting a course for home!" Foxy called over. His words fell on deaf ears, however, as the others played with the kids. Foxy screeched softly in annoyance, and started forward. Mike watched as a path opened in the small crowd to let the large robot through, and as Foxy grabbed Freddy and Chica. He dragged them towards Mike, and Bonnie followed, concerned.

"Hey!" Chica protested, "I was having fun!"

"Look, I know this was great, but we have to go!" Mike said, and waved them towards the main entrance. The robots followed without complaint, although both Chica and Foxy were muttering to themselves. People continued to stare as the group moved on, with them either complaining about the ratty conditions of the "costumes" (especially Foxy), or smiled politely as they passed. Soon, Mike and the robots were out in the parking lot.

"How far away are we?" Bonnie asked, looking around. Mike sighed.

"We're gonna have to take the bus," he said, regretting the decision.

The ride had been… awkward, to say the least. The animatronics were apprehensive about stepping aboard the large vehicle, and it was a tight fit. Luckily, there was only a few stops until they reached the one outside the pizzeria's commercial center. It was pretty uneventful, even if they received bizarre looks from the other passengers. Upon arriving in front of the pizzeria, Mike recognized Arianna, the day manager, who was talking with a police officer. As they got closer, the group could make out the conversation.

"What do you mean you haven't heard anything!?" Arianna complained to the policeman, "Do you know how expensive those things are!?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but there was an incident last night, and no one at the station wants to take this case," the officer explained.

"What sort of incident?" Arianna asked, furious.

"They won't say," the officer replied, "They're all pretty shaken up."

"Alright, _fine,_" Arianna spat, "Just do your best, and keep in touch."

"Will do," the officer replied, walking away. Arianna sighed, and dug furiously in her purse, grabbing a cell phone. She punched in a number like she was trying to stab through the keypad, and held it up to her ear. Apparently there was no answer, and she shouted into the device.

"Schmidt! Pick up your goddamn phone! I know you're there, Schmidt!" Arianna screamed. Mike awkwardly walked up.

"Um… No I'm not," he said. Arianna turned and glared, snapping her phone shut.

"There you are! Where are they?" she demanded.

"The robots? I found them at the mall, they're over there," Mike pointed to where they had been standing. Nothing was there.

"Don't play games with me, Schmidt, now I know you're behind this," Arianna shouted.

"I'm serious! They were at the mall. I was there, minding my own business when I saw Foxy…" Mike related what had happened as far as he understood it.

"…So we took a bus back here, and now I don't know where they are," Mike finished. Arianna sat in thought for a moment.

"And getting them out, that was your plan?" she asked.

"Yes," Mike replied.

"And no one suspected anything?"

"Not that I could tell. It went pretty smooth," Mike said. Soon the two of them heard music wafting through the open front door.

"Huh?" Mike said, confused, and walked in. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were back onstage, performing their act, just like they would on a regular day. Arianna clasped her hand on Mike's shoulder.

"Well. Looks like you got them back in order," Arianna noted, in a voice that almost sounded proud.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Mike said.

"Our night guard position is open again. Interested?" Arianna asked. Mike paused, then turned and stuck out his right hand.

"You bet," he said, and he and Arianna shook.

"I assume you're familiar with the paperwork?" Arianna asked. Mike nodded.

"Good," she said, then her voice hardened, "Don't think I haven't forgotten about that break in, Mike. Next time, I won't be so forgiving." Mike sighed.

"And you were almost happy for me," he replied.

"Don't push it," Arianna told him, then led Mike into her office. From the stage, Freddy saw Mike exit with a piece of paper in his hands, as well as his uniform. He held them up, grinning.

"See you tonight!" he called over, and walked out of the building.

_**A/N: And they all lived happily ever after. Except, there's FIVE nights at Freddy's, right? So, yeah, this story was fun. Expect an epilogue like always, and the next installment in a short while. My life is starting to stare at me, saying, "Hey, remember how much fun it was having lots of time to write? RESPONSIBILITY, BITCH!" What does that mean to you? It means I have to slow down, so there'll be more of a gap after the epilogue of this here story. I'm also happy to announce that I'm working on a spin-off, set in my version of the canon, that takes place before 1986 when everything went downhill. It'll be a collection of longer one-shots, and will be flying under the flag of **__**Just Another Night at Freddy's: The Golden Years**__**, so be on the lookout for that. Once again, thank you guys for making this one of the most, if not THE most, popular collection of stories in this section. I'm honestly at a loss for words, which is really rare for me. I've also seen a few works that seem to have taken inspiration from my writing (I think so, anyway, but I'm pretty narcissistic), and to that I say: Ass. Slappage. If my assumptions are correct, that's seriously a huge honor. Still gonna be tight-lipped about my secret project, just know that due to how it'll work, you'll see it when it's done, as opposed to watching its progress like these. I'll leave you with some advice, like always: Don't ever, EVER drink antifreeze. I know it tastes sweet (akin to a metallic honey, if you're curious,) but that shit'll kill ya. For some actual, not so damn OBVIOUS advice, I say that if you're ever on a short commercial flight, wear around the ear headphones the entire journey. It'll keep you from getting those earaches, and is better than yawning. Chewing gum also helps, but the elevation annihilates your sense of smell, and therefore taste, so your gum will be ass flavored. For now, thanks for reading, and I shall see you after the epilogue. –DeltaV, Antifreeze Taste Tester.**_


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue, Part One: Back to Normal?

Freddy felt himself loosen up right as the clock struck midnight, and sighed contently to himself. He saw Bonnie and Chica start to move as well, and climbed off the stage into the Dining Hall. Mike was seated at one of the tables, chair leaned back, with his feet on the table. He was tapping on the tablet absent mindedly, and looked up when he heard Freddy approaching, smiling.

"Hey Freddy," the guard greeted, adjusting his "SECURITY" cap.

"Feet off the tables, please, Michael," Freddy scolded, "You know the rules."

"I'm not going to poop on the floor, Freddy," Mike responded sarcastically, but did as asked.

"Honestly, you're so immature," Freddy told him, shaking his head. Mike saw the grin on his face anyway.

"So… You guys okay? What exactly happened yesterday?" Mike asked, becoming serious. Freddy looked up.

"Well, after you left, they hired a new guard, so we tried to scare her off," Freddy began.

"I see…" Mike replied.

"And then we tried to call you, and I accidently dialed this woman, who talked about 911," Freddy explained.

"Not good," Mike commented.

"Apparently not, because they sent over a policeman…" Freddy explained everything, being arrested, how they escaped, and what happened at the mall.

"…And, as you know, that's when you came into the picture," Freddy finished. Mike whistled.

"Wow. Damn, you guys need me more than I thought," Mike observed, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. The smell of baking pizza began to waft from the kitchens, and Mike took a large sniff.

"Well, now I know what Chica's up to," Mike said, mouth watering. His stomach growled. Freddy stared.

"Was that you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm starved, so I hope Chica's willing to share," Mike said. He was answered when Bonnie walked up carrying a steaming pizza.

"Chica wanted to celebrate!" Bonnie announced, and set the pizza down on the table, and took a seat. Freddy did as well, and quite comfortably, since the chairs were made with the robots in mind. Chica joined later, and sat across from Bonnie and Freddy, who sat on Mike's right. Mike sat staring longingly, but waited for the animatronics to take the initiative.

"You gonna stare at it, or eat it?" Chica asked. Mike responded by grabbing a piece and taking a huge bite, closing his eyes at the taste. He swallowed.

"Holy crap, Chica," Mike praised, and took another huge bite. Chica smiled with pride. After finishing a second slice, he looked at the seated animatronics, who were watching him.

"You guys not going to eat?" Mike asked, reaching for a third slice.

"We're machines, remember?" Freddy reminded.

"Yeah. Where would it go?" Chica added.

"Right, right. Where's Foxy?" Mike asked, realizing he hadn't seen the fox around.

"I actually want to talk to you about him," Freddy said.

"Oh?" Mike asked, mouth full of pizza. He swallowed the bite. "What's up?"

"He seems… depressed," Freddy told the guard, "He hasn't left his cove since we were unlocked."

"So? That seems like him," Mike pointed out, wiping his hands off on a napkin.

"Well, yes, but don't you at least see him once by now?" Freddy asked.

"Yeah, you got a point. I'll go talk to him," Mike said, taking a slice of pizza with him.

Mike walked up to the closed curtains, pulling them open and staring into the dark.

"Foxy? You in here?" Mike asked. He heard shuffling, and saw Foxy's eyes look at him through the dark.

"C'mon out, I want to talk to you," Mike told the fox, stuffing the rest of his pizza slice into his mouth. Foxy's eyes rose up, closed the distance, and the fox stuck his head out.

"What do ye want?" Foxy asked, looking upset. Mike held up a finger, chewing quickly, before swallowing.

"Are you okay? You seem reclusive. More than normal, I mean," Mike told the fox, concerned. Foxy looked down.

"They don' like me," he said simply.

"Who? Freddy and the others?" Mike asked, confused.

"Tha kids, Mike. Me little mateys, they don' like me," Foxy admitted sadly.

"What do you mean? Of course they like you. Those two kids, Ben and Mike? They couldn't get enough! And what about Caleb?" Mike reminded.

"But all tha others, they're scared o' me," Foxy countered.

"Well, yeah, you're kinda scary looking," Mike observed, and Foxy growled.

"But that's not a _bad_ thing," Mike quickly added, "You just need to get past that. Who knows, maybe they'll fix you up."

"I 'spose…" Foxy said.

"Well, for what it's worth, _I_ like you. I wouldn't have busted my ass trying to save yours, _twice_, if I didn't," Mike told the fox. Foxy sort of perked up.

"That be true," Foxy agreed. Mike noticed the change, and shifted awkwardly.

"So… do you want a hug, or something?" Mike asked, not really wanting to.

"Mike, I'm a _pirate!_ And pirates do _not_ hug!" Foxy said, insulted.

"Well, alright, great, because honestly, I didn't want to… you're kinda… sharp," Mike admitted, "You gonna be okay?"

"Aye, I will. Thanks for helpin' us, Mike," Foxy said.

"Eh, no sweat," Mike shrugged, "C'mon, let's get back to the others."

A few minutes later, Mike and the animatronics were back at the table. Foxy spoke up,

"Mike? Ye said ye was jus' a lad when I was performin'?" Foxy asked. The others leaned in, interested in hearing more about their friend.

"Yeah, that's right," Mike replied.

"Did you ever visit us?" Bonnie asked. Mike nodded.

"Yes, actually. I'm pretty sure it was a rite of passage, or something. Everyone I knew as a kid has been here at least once," Mike told the robots. He then chuckled.

"In fact, I still remember the first time I ever came here. It was my friend's birthday, and he decided to have it here…" Mike began.

Epilogue: Part Two: Mike's First Day

Mike groaned from the back seat of his parent's car.

"Are we there yet?" he asked. The year was 1984, and Mike Schmidt was seven years old. His best friend Garrett had invited him to his birthday the past week at school, and that it was going to be held at Freddy Fazbear's.

By this time, a lot of the hype surrounding the restaurant had gone down, and the astounding nature of the animatronics had sort of worn off. People were still impressed, but the amazement had died down, sort of like an older rollercoaster. It was still fun, but people were used to it. The years hadn't just changed the guests, either.

As time went on, Mr. Fazbach's health declined, and halfway through 1984 was forced to retire, leaving the authority over the restaurant to his Chief of Operations. The Chief had seen fit to add several more elements to make the restaurant more appealing. For starters, Pirate's Cove was remodeled, turning what was essentially a theater setting into a pirate themed playground with a stage for Foxy to perform on. The pirate's act was also changed, turning more into an interactive story than a show, with more emphasis on Foxy actually playing with his new crew mates. After 1987, much of this would be torn out and sold to help cover the lawsuits.

This change resulted in Foxy's protective nature programming to be installed, since he was usually alone, so that he could be a watchful eye, and keep the children in line himself. The years affected the other animatronics as well, who had by now developed their distinct personalities based on observations of guests. It was during this time that the young Mike Schmidt and his family arrived at the main entrance.

Mike took it all in wide-eyed as he watched children run around the restaurant, stuff themselves with pizza, climb over the playground, and more. Garrett ran up to him.

"Hi Mike! Come on! We're over by the stage!" Garrett said, and led the way. A long table had been set up, and Mike could recognize several kids from his school.

"Isn't this place great?" Garrett asked.

"I guess, don't see what's so special…" Mike replied.

"The show hasn't started yet, then you'll see," Garrett told him with a knowing smile. A short while (and a couple slices of pizza) later, the lights dimmed, and spotlights shone onto the lowered curtain of the main stage.

"Alright kids, are you ready for Freddy?" a recorded voice asked, and the children cheered. The curtain raised to reveal three large animatronic animals, a bear, a rabbit, and a chicken. Mike groaned inwardly. He wasn't a fan of those silly robots. Once the band began to play, however, Mike's viewpoint began to change. Even at his age, he could tell there was something different about them. It was the way they moved. Yeah, it still had the mechanical jerkiness to it, but was much more fluid than what he had seen at other places.

Soon, the show ended, and lights dimmed. Mike applauded along with the rest of the kids, and turned to talk to Garrett again.

"No, no, wait, that's not the best part!" Garrett said, pointing for Mike to look. The rabbit put down her guitar, the bear replaced his microphone back onto the stand, and the chicken set down the odd cupcake figurine. Then they walked off stage.

_Now_ Mike was amazed. Everywhere else he had been that had had robotic performers always had them shut off and the curtains closed. But not here. A crowd soon formed around the three, and they began to talk to, hug, and take pictures with the children. Then the rabbit noticed Garrett, and the birthday balloons tied to the chair and table.

"Hey, guys, look! We have a birthday!" the rabbit said, pointing.

"A birthday? Wonderful! Come on, Bonnie, Chica, let's go greet our special guest!" the bear said.

"Sure, Freddy," the chicken replied, and the robots walked over. As he had seen before, the robots were pretty big, but their jovial nature kept Mike from really being afraid of them, and besides, Mike wasn't a sissy! Well, okay, they did make him a _little_ bit nervous.

"What's your name, buddy?" the bear, Freddy, asked Garrett.

"Garrett," Garrett replied proudly, "And I'm turning eight!"

"Eight? Fantastic! Tell you what, Garrett," Freddy said, slowly bending over to be more eye-level, "Why don't we sing happy birthday, then play some games? Does that sound fun?"

"Yeah!" Garrett replied enthusiastically. Freddy smiled, and straightened back up. He motioned for everyone to join in, and broke out into a rendition of "Happy Birthday." After they finished, a gruff, accented voice called out from across the room.

"Argh! I heard there be a birthday!" Mike turned, and saw it belonged to a large red fox, who sported an eye patch and had a hook for a hand. It sprinted over, skidding to a stop next to Freddy.

"Who's the lucky lad?" it asked, looking around. Garrett swelled with pride.

"Me! I'm turning eight!" he said.

"Eight, eh? Well, that be a big year, it be. In fact, wait just a moment, Ol' Foxy has something fer ya!" the fox said happily, running back over to the pirate themed area and opening up a large chest, rummaging through it. Running back, he held out his good hand, and dropped eight small gold coins into Garrett's hands.

"Eight Pieces o' Eight fer me newest mate," Foxy said, proud of his rhyming.

"Whoa, cool!" Garrett said, and the other kids scrambled to see. Soon, the bear clapped his hands together, stating it was time for games, inviting all of the kids in the restaurant to play. They were the usual fare, hide and seek, duck duck goose, and red light, green light, but what made it special was that the animatronics played too. Mike had a blast, and was sorry to go, but the restaurant had to close. He gave the animatronics a farewell hug.

"Will we see you here again?" Freddy asked.

"Definitely! I'll always come back here!" Mike said. And he would.

_**A/N: And with that, boys and girls, Night Three is completed. And I have some interesting news, and for that, I need to step out of my "professional author image" (however much is left), and simply go nuts. –ahem-. **_

_** OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, I HAVE FREAKING FAN ART, HOLY CRAP, HOLY CRAP, HOLY CRAP, THIS IS SO AMAZING, I DON'T EVEN GET **__**CEILING**__** FANS, LET ALONE DRAWINGS!**_

_** Okay, that's out of the way. Yes, I was browsing DeviantArt randomly and found a bit of fan art. An incredibly talented artist under the pen name WolfJediSamuel illustrated two scenes out of my first story. If you're reading this, Mr. WJS, thank you so much for enjoying my story so much that you decided to take the time and draw. It seriously blows me away. **_

_** He actually posted his artwork around the same time I finished writing that story, and I just noticed it. It is now my desktop wallpaper, and if I could, it would be my ACTUAL wallpaper. This brings up an interesting point: If you feel compelled at all to create something based on my stories, by all means, please do! I politely ask that if you plan on uploading it to anything, mention where it came from, yeah? THEN take all the credit, because you made something cool. And one other thing, if you do make it available to view, PM me! I would love to see it. I'm incredibly grateful to have acquired a fan base. This is an amazing experience for me. **_

_** Alright, enough ego. I have an update on the projects I'm working on. My goal is to at least get to five stories, for the five original nights, but want to take it to seven (or more!), but I fear the quality will diminish. I can't promise you more than five for this series just yet, but I CAN promise you that I will do my best. I have never had as much of a sense of pride akin to checking the reviews section each day, and finding out I'm doing a good job, and I don't want to give that up. I also want to thank my friends Arm Chair General and KamikazeRebel (Don't bother looking him up, he doesn't write stuff), who helped provide ideas (Arm Chair) and embrace my ability as a writer (Kamikaze). **_

_** Oh, and some people are wondering if I actually drank antifreeze because of that Author's Note. No, I did not drink antifreeze. I spat it out, you think I'm stupid? –DeltaV, "I love Sleeping. It's like Death, but without the commitment."**_


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